Cattle, Compadres, and Creative Art – Visiting Nebraska and North Dakota’s Enchanted Highway

We had a long but very pleasant, stress-free drive along US-283 to Johnson Lake State Recreation Area in Elwood, Nebraska.  Good thing we arrived relaxed, because getting into our RV site was a real nailbiter.  The site was plenty long enough, flat, and private.  But it had a straight in angle.  Furthermore, it was surrounded by huge trees with very low-hanging branches, signposts, flower boxes, boundary logs, and a dumpster to boot.  It was such an obstacle course, it took Dad 45 minutes to get us parked.  We trimmed a few trees and added a few scratches to Suite Retreat’s exterior, but we were so relieved and grateful to finally put down jacks and get settled.   (Of course, this could have been avoided had we been able to reserve one of their pull-through sites.  But, alas, all of them were booked.  This place is quite popular, so we were lucky to even get a back-in site).

The Recreation Area includes a lovely lake for boating and swimming.   It also boasts a 10-mile hiking/biking trail (we hiked about 3 miles of it), 4 miles of which are part of the American Discovery Trail, which I learned is a 5,000+- mile national coast-to-coast trail that starts in Cape Henlopen, Delaware, ends at Limantour Beach in Point Reyes, California, and passes through 15 states and Washington, D.C.  I may have been on this trail previously without even knowing it, since its path coincides at points with many multi-state trails, National Parks, and State/City Parks.

 

As non-residents of Nebraska, it cost us $35/night for our 50-amp electric site without water and sewer (but there is an easily accessible dump and potable water station at the front of the campground).  We were also subjected to a $14 per day non-resident pass ($7 for Nebraska residents) for Big Boomer, our tow vehicle.  (Had we taken my Rambling RV Rat Pack Rubicon outside of the Recreation Area, we would have had to purchase a daily vehicle pass for it, too.)  But we felt it was all money well spent since it put us within 10 miles of the home of Quartzsite pickleball friends Cyndi/Jim.

 

That night, we had a great time catching up while feasting on one of Mom’s tasty meals.  The next day Cyndi/Jim gave us a wonderful tour of their vibrant, culturally-diverse hometown, which has both outdoor and INDOOR pickleball and tennis courts.  The use of the courts is open to residents of their town as well as non-residents and it is FREE OF CHARGE!  That is music to this Rambling RV Rat’s ears.  We had a blast playing several doubles matches using rally-scoring, which we felt makes the game more competitive and is a heck of a lot easier to keep track of the score for forgetful folks like this stuffed rat and his parents.  (In regular scoring, only the serving team can win a point.  But in rally-scoring, either team can win the point, regardless of which team served the ball.)   We worked up quite an appetite from playing, so we all headed over to Medo’s Beachfront Resort, where we enjoyed breaking bread together on the upper outdoor deck overlooking the lake.  Thanks Cyndi/Jim for the good times and new memories we have created together.

 

I am happy to report that exiting the RV site at Johnson Lake Recreation Area the following morning was a heck of a lot easier than getting into it.  We were heading to another Harvest Host in Ellsworth, Nebraska.  Our route took us mainly along Scenic Byway NE-2, where the flat plains transform into gently rolling hills of sand, upon which a variety of grasses grow.  (I learned that this topography is found only in Nebraska and in Mongolia).  It is above this unique landscape that the sandhill cranes journey back from their winter homes.     

 

Flying Diamond Ranch touched my heart from the moment we arrived.  15,000 acres of God’s Country.  Our host, Jaclyn, is the 5th generation of the Wilson family to operate this Ranch, which was established in 1888.  The parking area was huge, level, and welcoming, complete with flower gardens, seating area, grill for barbequing outdoors, and friendly, gentle canine friends.  The 10-mile dirt road to the Ranch is fairly well maintained, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend following the 50 miles per hour that Google Maps indicates is the speed limit.  We took it VERY slowly, savoring the spectacular views.  Jaclyn took us off-road with her, giving us a tour as she addressed some Ranch issues.  Everywhere I looked I witnessed nature: horses, deer, waterfowl, birds, and, of course, cattle, including a few calves who just turned a month old.   This was such a wonderful, spiritual experience.  Wilson’s Flying Diamond Ranch is now one of our favorite Harvest Hosts locations.  Plus, the meat we purchased was delicious.  My Rambling RV Rat rating system only goes up to 5-cheeses.  But Wilson’s Flying Diamond Ranch is off the charts, earning the new rating of a 5² cheese award.

 

So sorry to leave this slice of heaven!  

We departed the next morning, stopping in Alliance, Nebraska for Carhenge, a Roadside America attraction.  The art exhibit, created in 1987, replicates England’s Stonehenge.   But instead of using rock pillars, it uses 30+ “vintage” cars (the oldest dates to 1950).   The art park has some other unique pieces, all using car parts and scrap metal.   It always amazes me how clever, ingenious, and creative folks can be.

 

The car on the far left is the "Autograph Auto", where you can sign the car...

...So, I felt obliged to leave my John Hancock

Some other unique "car part art".

Soon we were welcomed to South Dakota.  We have been throughout the State numerous times (our first visit was a fly/ride motorcycle trip in 1999) and spent more than a year there cumulatively.  From Sioux Falls to the Corn Palace, from Pine Ridge to Hot Springs, from the Black Hills to Deadwood, from Wall Drug to Badlands, we have toured the State extensively. We have hiked, biked, rode horseback, motorcycled—heck, we even snow-shoed there during a blizzard in early May 2015 when we work-camped at Crazy Horse Memorial.  Hence, we chose to just do a drive-through on this trip, staying overnight at Black Hills Vista RV Park in Sturgis, South Dakota.  The Park had a 90-foot pull-through site for us, so there was no need to detach Big Boomer/Suite Retreat or even the Jeep.  The place must be a zoo during the motorcycle rally, when there are wall-to-wall RVs like a Camping World parking lot.  However, for overnight this time of year, it was perfect.  It wasn’t cheap ($62/night including tax), but we had a chance to do laundry, reach our goal of 5 miles of walking, and watch the deer in the nearby fields before the ominous clouds rolled in and severe storms hit.

Sturgis is a quiet town other than when the motorcycle rally occurs each August..

This feline was sitting right on top of the birdhouse.  Wonder if its name is Sylvester and a Tweety Bird lives inside the house.

Some ominous clouds.  Storms are coming!

   
The next day we entered North Dakota.  We stopped for a hearty lunch at Dakota Diner in Dickinson, parked Big Boomer/Suite Retreat at an adjacent truck stop, and detached the Jeep.  We went to tour the Enchanted Highway, 32 miles from Gladstone to Regent, featuring 8 scrap metal sculptures.  What creativity!  The artist, Gary Greff, began the project in 1989 to foster tourism to his hometown of Regent.

Along the Enchanted Highway is Black Butte, so named because the rock looks black when the sun hits it.  It was a major landmark during the stagecoach days.

Regent is VERY small.  Its ½ square mile of land mass contains a gift shop, the Historical Society Museum, and small grocery co-op (We made small purchases/donations at each to support this quaint town).  It is also home to the Enchanted Castle, a hotel, tavern, and restaurant that is housed within the town’s repurposed elementary school!   Plus, on the grounds is a ginormous statue of a knight slaying a dragon!

The castle is just a faux stucco structure that surrounds the entry door to the hotel/tavern/restaurant within the repurposed elementary school.

 

I snuck a peak inside a window.  The "classrooms" are now the hotel rooms.

The hotel lobby.  I learned that the restaurant is within the repurposed gymnasium.

The knight in shiny armor slaying the dragon outside the Enchanted Castle.

I loved the ingenuity and dedication exhibited by Mr. Greff and the other 169 residents of Regent to promote their little piece of Americana.

Time to sign off--more storms are brewing!  I'll talk to you again soon!